Self contained fire extinguishing assemblies are used to extinguish fires in enclosed volumes. In some examples, the assemblies are mounted within the enclosed volumes (rooms, warehouses and the like), and rigged to automatically operate in the presence of predetermined stimulus (e.g., heat, concentration of a gas and the like). In at least one example, the assembly is electrically powered, and remote fire detectors control the activation of the assembly. For instance, the remote fire detectors activate a series of fire extinguishing assemblies in areas where fire is detected. Preinstalled fire extinguishing assemblies are cumbersome and difficult to move between locations as the assemblies are often heavy and fixedly coupled to a structure at a first location. Additionally, it is difficult to position the assemblies within an on-going fire because of the extreme heat, noxious gases and possible degradation of the location's structural integrity.
Another example of a fire extinguishing assembly includes a hand held device that immediately ignites an aerosol forming compound upon the removal of a safety pin. Because the aerosol forming compound immediately ejects fire suppressant from the device, injury may result. Further, because of the ejecting fire suppressant, in some examples, it is difficult to properly position the hand held device within a burning enclosed space where it can work most effectively. In other examples, the hand held device includes a discharge orifice that upon positioning in the desired burning location becomes occluded by surrounding debris or the floor. Occluding the discharge orifice prevents ejection of the fire suppressant and decreases the effectiveness of the hand held device. Further still, in yet other examples, the discharge orifice creates sufficient thrust to propel the hand held device away from the desired location (e.g., adjacent a fire) thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the device. For instance, the device generates sufficient thrust to propel itself from the desired location through a window or door or into a distant corner away from a burning area. To avoid such thrust, the device container must have sufficient weight to counter the thrust. However, using a heavy container makes it difficult to transport and position the fire extinguishing device.
Still other examples of fire extinguishing assemblies use a liquid based aerosol, such as a water base, to generate the fire suppression agent. A sufficient amount of liquid must be included in a reservoir within the assemblies to extinguish the desired fire. The liquid can be heavy and limit the portability of the assemblies, especially for use by a single user. In addition to the liquid reservoir, to form a liquid based aerosol an explosive device is required to create sufficient explosive energy to force the liquid through atomizing openings and generate the liquid aerosol fire suppression agent. The container for such an assembly must be enlarged to contain the explosive device and the liquid reservoir. Additionally, the container is strengthened (e.g., with stronger materials and/or additional reinforced structure) to withstand such an explosion thereby making the assembly heavier and more cumbersome for the user.
What is needed is a fire extinguishing device that overcomes the shortcomings of previous devices. What is further needed is a fire extinguishing device that is compact and portable, and is easily positionable within a burning area.